What are some conflicts in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

One of the conflicts in this book is whether Junior should stay on his reservation or seek a better education in Reardan. By leaving his reservation to attend the nearby white school, which has better resources, Junior causes a rift between himself and his friend Rowdy. Some of the members of Junior's tribe see Junior's efforts to get a better education as a form of desertion. Junior struggles to know whether his choices constitute an abandonment of his traditional beliefs or a way to advocate for himself and to create a better future.

Another conflict in the book is the tension between the traditions of the past and the demands of the future. Junior's grandmother participates in traditional forms of belief, such as pow-wows, but it is increasingly difficult for members of Junior's family to exercise their traditions and be part of the modern world at the same time. For example, Junior's parents have dreams of being a musician (in the case of his father) or a teacher (in the case of his mother), but their reality is that they have not been allowed to have the opportunities to make these realities true. Therefore, they struggle to continue the practices of the past and to create better opportunities for themselves in the present.

Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian follows the story of Arnold Spirit Jr. (referred to simply as "Junior"), a Native American teenager suffering from hydrocephalus who must face down may internal and external conflicts, such as:

- Junior is bullied on the reservation due to his poor health (external conflict), which also leads him to question his outsider status within what should be a bonded community (internal conflict).

- Junior is frustrated by the poverty of his school on the reservation and breaks Mr. P's nose by throwing a textbook at him (external conflict), which leads to Junior having to decide whether or not he should attend school off of the reservation (internal conflict).

- Junior and Rowdy get into a fight over Junior's decision to attend school off of the reservation (external conflict).

- Junior gets into a fight with Roger, the school's star athlete, which results in Junior punching Roger in the face (external conflict).

- Junior must face the wrath of the reservation, who resents that he is attending a white school, an attitude which manifests during the basketball game between Wellpinit and Reardan when Rowdy knocks Junior out (external conflict).

- Junior's team wins the game, but this makes him feel guilty to the point of sickness as he remembers how underprivileged the reservation school is (internal conflict).

- Additionally, Junior must deal with several external conflicts that involve heavy drinking: the death of his grandmother, sister, and brother-in-law and the murder of a family friend. All of these incidences call into question Junior's socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and ethnic identity (internal conflict). 

I love this book!

The main character Junior goes through both internal and external conflict:

INTERNAL CONFLICTS occur when a character is arguing with him/herself over some sort moral or ethical dilemma. It's that "should I, or shouldn't I?" debate that we all encounter when facing tough decisions.

• should he stay on the reservation and not get the best education available, or should he go to the "white" school and betray his Indian family/friends so that he can have the best?
• should he continue the argument with Rowdy and hold a grudge or should he let it go so that he can have his best friend back?
• should Junior stay true to his past and his history, or should he try to be more like his new white friends so that he can fit in better?

EXTERNAL CONFLICTS occur when a character battles any outside force. The primary type of external conflict in this novel is human vs. human.

• the scene where Junior fights off the bully on one of his first few days at his new school.
• when Rowdy tries to punch Junior
• when the other people on the reservation pick on Junior

Racism is an obvious issue. Rowdy, Junior's friend was almost racist against his own kind as he was mad at Junior for being open to spending time with white people. The mascot at Junior's new high school was an Indian which certainly felt a little racist to him.

Education is inequitable. On the reservation, it feels like education only occur for the students who want it, and at that, not many do. Most Indians drop out anyways seems to be a common attitude.

Government assistance is a consistent issue that dominates the text as medical help, type of glasses, and the welfare benefits or lack thereof are regularly referred to in Junior's narration.

Alcoholism is a consistent controversial issue on the reservations. In this story in particular, Junior's dad's friend Eugene is considered a regular drunk driver who Junior actually rides with during the novel at one point to get to school.

Violence is a system of managing behavior on the reservation. Parents express violence on children, and children establish pecking order among each other in this book.

These are the major controversial issues you will find in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.

I think in addressing this question, the most powerful theme that is evident is the reclamation of voice.  A central idea of this book is the notion that a person's voice can be authentic and claimed back despite social marginalization and political powers that seek to silence it.  Ask yourself about occasions in the book where we can see Arnold fight to reclaim his voice.  Another theme is the idea that a person's identity is forged through social and political hurdles.  Arnold's identity and notion of self is enhanced only when he undergoes extreme levels of challenge from his own people and white society. (Pay attention to his impressions about how he feels he fits in, or more appropriately, does not fit in within either society.)  Like most books that are bildungsroman novels centered on the notion of a marginalized group, this novel explains the difficulty in being considered a hyphenated American.  I think this is another theme that can be explored with examples from the text.  The final theme is something that I find intriguing, but I am not sure others would.  I would submit that a theme present in the book is how these voices can be brought from margin to center when we pay attention and listen to these voices.  The narratives of Native Americans have not been included in American history.  Pay attention to the evidence in the book that talks about how Arnold sees himself as an American whose voice "sings" America, even if American society itself does not fully acknowledge his voice.  He speaks and sings regardless of who listens.  This idea of the freedom within the American narrative is a powerful one.